Gino McKoy
| birth_place = Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | residence = | nationality = Canadian | alma_mater = University of Toronto | occupation = Director, Producer, Musician | home_town = Toronto, Ontario Canada | years active = 2004–present | relations = Lynda McKoy (mother) Hudson McKoy (father) }}Gino Justin Hudson McKoy (born December 28, 1980) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life and family McKoy was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Tobago. He moved to Canada with his family in 1984. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2004 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in World Religion and Political Science and later attended Mississauga School of Music, where he received vocal training from Marat Maxutov. He is the only child of Lynda and Hudson McKoy, both former banking executives with Royal Bank of Canada. Professional life After graduating university, McKoy followed his family into the finance sector. Drawn to pursue his passion for music and film, McKoy left the banking industry in 2004 and, together with his parents, co-founded Goldove Entertainment Inc , a multi media corporation focusing on feature film and music production. The company began in Toronto and later expanded to Los Angeles, California. Music McKoy’s original song ‘Steelplan’ placed in youth competition during the 2005 Musical Classical Steel Drums Competition in the United Kingdom. The composition was inspired by the musical influences of his native Trinidad and Tobago, the birthplace of steelpan drumming. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, McKoy’s original composition 'Soca Warriors Anthem' was reported as a favorite in The New York Times . Influences for this song once again celebrated Caribbean musical traditions and the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. A third original composition, ‘West Indies Forever’ was played on the opening day of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in Jamaica. McKoy’s original music has been well received by the international media including The New York Times and BBC. In late 2008, McKoy began writing lyrics and composing music for his debut pop/rock album, a project that was later taken over by record producer David Kerschenbaum. On June 14, 2019, LUMINA EP, McKoy's introductory release, was launched worldwide. The album includes three music singles: Sensy Girl, Everything to Me, and Runaway. McKoy wrote and recorded the songs. The songs were released under the Goldove label and music publisher BMG. The three tracks will be included McKoy's directorial debut film, LUMINA, which will be in theaters in 2020. Film In 2015, 'Little Mizz Innocent,' a female-driven action thriller written by McKoy , starring Olga Kurylenko ,Carrie-Anne Moss , Tyrese Gibson and Christopher Plummer, to be directed by Jeremiah Chechik was announced. Shooting is expected to occur in Canada, Austria, South Africa and China. At a production cost of CAD $65 million (USD $51m) , 'Little Mizz Innocent' has the distinction of being the highest budget independent film ever to be produced in Canada. External links * Gino McKoy - IMDB category:1980 births category:Living people Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago singer-songwriters Category: Canadian filmmakers Category:Canadian film producers Category: Canadian screenwriters References